The present invention relates to method and apparatus for venting slaughtered poultry in manner and with means as provide recovery of more useable carcass meat as well as lessening possibility of contaminating the carcass incident the venting.
A requirement of processing a poultry carcass involves venting the carcass, i.e., cutting out the vent area around the anus of the carcass and withdrawing the intestine to the exterior of the carcass preliminary to further processing steps in which complete evisceration takes place.
U.S. patents dealing with this subject of which were are aware include U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,795,815; 4,023,237; 4,564,977; 5,123,871 and 5,133,686. A drawback of these is that unnecessary loss of recoverable carcass meat can and does occur this being due principally to manner of operation of the rotary cutter with which the vent is severed. In part this involves a cutter speed and cutter contact time with the area adjacent the vent which produces chewing up of the meat, separating skin from leaf fat and disadvantage and loss ensuing from misregistration between the vent and the cutter so that cut through of the intestine takes place.
The present invention contemplates that by severing the vent in manner not heretofore recognized, a savings of as much as 5 grams of useable meat per carcass can be obtained. When it is considered that about seven billion chickens are slaughtered in the United States annually, simple arithmetic calculation shows that possibly as much as 70 million pounds of meat heretofore lost can be recovered and with this significant dollar profit to the processor.
Additional to direct economic loss attending venting is the problem that the operation of the cutter in making the venting cut can cause spread of a contaminant such as fecal matter onto carcass areas outside the vent area being removed, this contaminant thereby becoming a problem site on the carcass that must be dealth with otherwise it can remain a bacterial source that can lead to spoilage.
In making a vent cut, the rotary cutter has to be properly aligned relative to the carcass anus. If untoward misalignment does occur, the cutter can cut through the intestine adjacent the vent possibly releasing fecal matter onto the carcass exterior. Also, off line venting produces loss of useable meat.